Race report and a car full of girls.

The good news...I wasn't last this week.  Making progress??  I hope so.

It was blazing hot though and I was hurtin' like a dog out there.

 I think one of my problems is that I'm too tentative when it comes to descending on little single track trails.  I think I lose the most time during the downhill sections...weird.  I also freak out a bit when there is someone right behind me...like in the picture.  I'm sure at that moment that guy behind me was making me uneasy.  I always feel slow and in the way when someone is behind me.  I've got to get over that!  But like I said, I think I'm making progress!

Thursday we tried out a new splash pad in the area.  And because taking 5 kids last week wasn't a big enough challenge, I decided to up the ante and take 6 this week!  

Haley was being grumpy and decided to turn her head right when I snapped the picture.  Oh, and I was at a light when I took it...just so you know...I'm all about safe driving!  The splash pad ended up being super crowded, but it didn't seem to phase the kids in the slightest...they had a ball!  And no one got hurt, and no one got lost, so I was feeling pretty confident in my ability to handle 6 kids...so much in fact that I took them to The Barn (shave ice stand) on the way home.  But there is NO WAY I could do that everyday!  I was beat!

Tomorrow Haley has another swim meet, and then we're loading up the Burban for our annual Idaho Falls weekend.  Ryan races the crit Saturday night and we haven't missed a year yet!
Some of our past trips: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012.

Happy Weekend!

Rory's special style and weekly race series.

Seeing Rory play with her shirt like that I couldn't help but think of Morgan and when this happened.  

Ah, good times.

This week has been tough for me...not with anything particular...I'm just tired.  Like pregnant tired...but I'm not pregnant.  (Did I get your attention though?)  I think my weekend of camping wore me out, and that was just one night!!  Good grief!  We have plans to do some camping in a couple of weeks for three days...what will happen to me after that?!  I'll be dead for a month!

Tonight I'm racing the Weekly Race Series.  Jeffy won't be with us this time...he went back home to the LBC.  I'm kinda sad about that.  But I'll press on.  My goal tonight is to not be last.  I really don't like to be last...but then, who does?  I did get out for a ride yesterday so I got that going for me!  One day of training is better than none right?!  

Wish me luck!

Camping: Timpanogos

Who knew one night of camping would be such an ordeal with a family of six?!  By the time we got the car packed it looked as if we were camping for a week!  

Ryan raced Saturday morning, so we didn't get up to the campground until late afternoon.  We only have to drive about 20 minutes up the mountain to get there...which is pretty nice!  The last time we camped at this campground Haley was our only child and she was about 18 months old...same age as Rory.  Crazy.

Once there, we got everything set up and dinner going while the kids ran around...getting dirty of course.  

And then after an hour or two of being there Piper ended up falling backwards in her camp chair hitting her head on the asphalt and splitting it open.  Of course...that's just our luck.  So after freaking out a bit and perhaps mumbling a few obscenities under my breath we decide Ryan should take her back down the mountain to our pediatrician's after hours care to get it stitched up.

While he's gone with Piper I finish dinner, we eat, cleanup and then I tried my best to get a fire lit...with no success.  Some people camping close by sensed my frustration and came over to help.  Did I look that pathetic?!  But whatever, they got a HUGE fire going for us...so for that I'm thankful...the girls were able to get their s'mores after all!  Now, let me just say what we already know....s'mores + Haley, Morgan, and Rory + dirt = one big sticky mess!!  There was sticky marshmallow EVERYWHERE plus the dirt all over I felt like we had been tarred and feathered.  But they had blast, which is the goal, right?  

Ryan got back around 10 and then we all promptly went to bed for the world's worst sleep.  Everyone did great and slept like angles...except for Rory.  We were those campers that everyone can't stand...I mean, honestly, a crying baby in otherwise silent forest isn't ideal.  The only thing that got her quiet was a water bottle.  After drinking a few sips she dozed off but I still could not pull that water bottle out of her hands...she would start to wake up as soon as I tried.  So I let her keep it and squeezed her in my sleeping bag, water bottle and all.  And let me just say...sharing a mummy bag with a baby is not fun!  Bottom line I didn't sleep much and when I did wake up in morning not only was I stiff and sore, but I was also soaking wet from a leaky water bottle.  Good times.

The good news is that everyone stayed asleep until after 7!

When we went to sleeping in a row...by morning, Morgan was at the foot of the tent...weird.

The next day was much better!  We had a great breakfast, hung out, packed a picnic, cleaned up and then went for a hike to Stewart Falls.

My little Piper...good as new after getting three stitches the night before.

Stewart Falls.

Morgan carried the lunch bag pack pretty much the whole hike with no complaining (it was not light!)...very impressive!

Piper, however, need some work in the hiking department...I piggybacked her for nearly the entire hike.

Our dirty camp hands.

Now, my laundry room smells like a camp fire and I have a mountain of wash to do!  But it's all worth it...stitches and all!  The kids had a ball and that's what it's all about!

I have such an appreciation for my parents and all the camp trips we did growing up!  I KNOW how much work went into those trips.  But the memories are priceless and that's what I want for my kids!

Morgan and her shoes.

Morgan has always been very particular how things fit her...especially, her shoes.  I bought her a pair of little pink sneakers at some point during the Winter (low top converse that she tried on and told me they were great and she loved them!).  However, she went from loving them to hating them in the matter of a few days, and I kid you not, every single morning that she wore them ended in tears!  She claimed that every time she wore them it felt as though her heal was going to come out because they were so low on her foot.  She would insist that we tighten them as tight as they would go to assure her that her feet would not come out!  

So anyway, one morning during one of her fits, I told her that I was going to buy her a pair of shoes that laced up to her knees!!  But her reaction wasn't what I thought it was going to be!  As soon as I said that, she immediately says, "Okay...let's buy those!".  I had to explain that I was joking, and that wasn't very practical.  

Now, let's face forward several months to today.  Today was finally the day that I needed to buy her new tennis shoes...we'll be doing some hiking this weekend and didn't want to hear her fits...and plus, I know for sure she's outgrown her old ones.  So while driving to the store she says, "Mom, remember when you said you would buy shoes that laced up to my knees?!  I really want to get a pair!!".  Surprised that she even remembered (kids have the best memory don't they?) I again explained that they don't have shoes like that and that I was kidding.  

Once at the store we searched the racks to find the perfect pair of shoes.  And low and behold, you'll never guess what I found on the top shelf!

You better believe I left those babies right there on that top shelf completely out of Morgan's vision!

I did end buying her a pair of high top chucks though, and she was happy with that.

This weekend Ryan is racing and then we're packing up for an overnight camp trip!  The girls have been itching to go for a great long while!!  This will mark the first camp trip with four kids...wish us luck!

Happy Weekend!

Swim park update.

I just wanted to report that I in fact survived my water park outing with five children by myself!  And more importantly, so did the children.  I know everyone will be glad to hear that.  And actually, it went really well!  The older kids ran off and I pretty much never saw them again...which is fine since they're basically self sufficient now, and the two little ones stayed in one area making it fairly easy for me to look after them.  Except for the part when I had to take Piper to bathroom about a gazillion times (okay maybe just three)...she must have been drinking the water or something!

Now, I'm exhausted.

Everyday Life

 Who can resist a drawer full of kitchen towels?

Not Rory...she loves to make a mess of them daily.

During the Summer Haley and Morgan have "workbook and journal time" everyday...well, Monday through Friday that is.  They have their "study time" after lunch when I lay Rory down for her nap.  This is my attempt to get some quiet time in the house for at least a little bit.

You can see how thrilled Morgan is about it.

 And while the older girls are doing workbook, Piper is supposed to be having her quiet time on the couch reading or coloring...and if I'm lucky she'll doze off.

Today, she made a tower out of pillows.  But at least she was quiet!

Tonight we went to Sundance to watch my brother race the Weekly Race Series.  Always good fun for the kids!  They can just run their little hearts out all evening long...it makes bedtime a snap! 

Tomorrow I'm going to attempt to take all the children, plus one of their friends, to a swim park...by myself.  Am I crazy?!  

Give me strength!!  

Weekend Review

Haley had her first swim meet on Saturday!  Her coach signed her up for the freestyle and backstroke, and I'm happy to report that she has accomplished her goal of swimming an entire lap without stopping or grabbing the wall!  I'm so proud of her!  The meet was complete craziness with kids everywhere!  And having never done this myself I had to figure out how it all worked.  But Haley wasn't nervous or anything, she just went where she had to go and did what she had to do.  Good job Haley!

She's the second one in the yellow cap.

Sunday we churched it up and then Jeffy and I hit the trails at Sundance in the afternoon.

Ryan and the girls met up with us.

We celebrated Father's Day by grabbing some fried chicken on the way home from Sundance and eating alfresco.  Simple yet satisfying!  

I am so grateful for Ryan, he is truly a wonderful dad to these four girls.  I spent the evening sitting on the porch watching Ryan play tag with the girls thinking just that.

You're amazing Ryan and we love you so much!

Ryan with Haley in 2004.

And of course, Father's Day wouldn't be complete without giving a shout out to my own dad!

My riding partner and go-to guy for all home improvement projects!

I love you!  Happy Father's Day!

Pool Fail

Blow up pools don't work in our yard because our dogs will pop them.  And also, who wants to blow up a pool every time you want to swim?  The answer is, not me.  I like the kind that the sides fold down to let the water out...and they are usually sold out pretty quick around here.  Most years, I don't buy them in time and I'm out of luck.  So, being a good mom this year, as soon as I saw them on sale I snagged one.  And since they put out swim stuff when there's still snow on the ground, I've had that baby tucked away in the basement for a couple of months waiting for the perfect hot day.  And that day happened to be this week.  We pulled it out, set it up, just to discover it has a hole in the side.  Luckily they still could play in it...they just couldn't fill it that deep.  But, it the back of my head I knew I was taking it back the next day.  Well, I did take it back...and guess what?  They are sold out of that particular pool now.  What do you know?  So, I failed at trying to be a good mom this year.

I may have to buy the solid plastic kind...I think those are still floating around.

And speaking of swimming...Haley has her first swim meet tomorrow!  Wish her luck!  And us, I've been told swim meets can run around 4-6 hours!!  Sheesh!

She has her new team suit and of course her new swim cap!

Happy Weekend!

Weekly Race Series: Sorensen Trail

Jeffy and me after the race.

Last night we loaded up the burban and headed up to Heber for the Weekly Race Series.  My program of no training in between racing isn't really working for me, as I was hurtin'!!  I had to pull out everything I had just to finish the darn thing!  And I'm pretty sure I was last...yep, dead last.  Oh well, whatcha gonna do?  Well...I guess train more...that may help.  I do have fun though, even with all my suffering.  It feels good to get out there and sweat, and it's such a great group of people, it's hard not to have a good time!

Today, I am sore.

Everyday Life

This month Rory turned 18 months, which is a pretty big deal at our church because now she's able to go to nursery.  Piper is still in nursery, so it was so cute to watch them walk to class together hand-in-hand.  

And how do like those bows mom?!  Not too bad, huh?  

For the record...I'm the world's worst at tying a bow...which is pretty sad considering a have four girls.  

This transition to nursery has been bitter-sweet for me.  It's nice to have my lap free of a child; not having to excuse myself from my class because Rory is being loud; endlessly walking the halls trying to get her to fall asleep; or after my class having to pick up scattered Cheerios, books, toys and whatever else I had to use in desperation for her to play quietly while I tried to listen to the lesson being given.  So yeah, it was a bit odd on Sunday to actually sit without any distractions around me.  But then, it's kinda sad, because this is just a sign that my baby is growing up way too fast!

Piper, who used to be my dream baby when it came to sleeping,  has now refused to sleep in her bed.  Every night she pitches a fit with lots of yelling and it usually ends with her like this.

We transfer her to her bed when we go to sleep and then about 1:30 in morning she wakes up and comes into our room and sleeps on our floor.  Every night, it's the exact same.  I really don't want to fight this battle, so I'm just hoping she grows out of it.

And speaking of sleeping, I took Rory's morning nap away and I'm now transitioning her to one afternoon nap a day.  Sometimes it goes well...sometimes she eats lunch like this:

I'm kinda glad we don't have normal TV with channels.  Evening TV is pure crap for kids...really, it is.  So I"m thankful for our library and the chance to pick out some fun shows (shows that I grew up with) for the kids to watch this Summer.  First up, Little House on the Prairie.  Really, you can't get much better than this!!  

The girls have really enjoyed it!  And me!!  It's so nostalgic!  I've been trying really hard not to cry during every show.  But every time Micheal Landon cries I'm reaching for the Kleenex!  He has to be the world's best crier...am I right?!  We've knocked out Season 1 in these past few weeks.  I'm thinking today we need to pick up Season 2.

And speaking nostalgic things...this Summer I started reading Anne of Green Gables to Haley and Morgan. You can see that my copy has been loved for many years.

Now, I know I'm not alone when I say I loves these books!  Just about every woman was fascinated with this series as a little girl!  It has been so fun to reread them!  I hope my girls enjoy them as much as I do!

In other news, tonight is the Weekly Race Series in Heber this time.  I have a bit of a cold, but I'm gonna dig deep and get out there!!

Cooking with Kelly: Grilled Salmon

It's been a great long while since I posted a recipe!  So here's a family favorite that is so super easy and fast! It's sure to please everyone...I promise! 

Grilled Salmon

salmon fillets (we'll cook up 5 for our family)

olive oil

steak seasonings

Parmesan cheese (I'm not fancy...I use Kraft...straight out of the green jar)

Lay the fillets onto a cookie sheet and give it a good coating of the olive oil.  Sprinkle the steak seasonings and cheese all over it...and throw it on the grill!

About 6 minutes per side and you're dinner is done!

And don't forget the left over bits on the cage...

pure goodness right there, people...pure goodness.

Wasn't that easy?!  Just throw some rice and a salad on the table and you're good to go!

And speaking of food.  This week the girls are celebrating Yucky Cereal Week!  

They finally decided to try something other than Trix this time.

Yucky cereal weeks: 2009,  2010,  2012 (not sure what happened to 2011)

See what I mean about getting Trix?!  Way to step out of your comfort zone girls!

Springville Museum of Art

Every year Springville holds a kids art festival.  I took the girls years ago (when I only had Haley and Morgan).  It was a bit hellish for me if I remember correctly...it was pretty crowded...and you know how I am with crowds...I hate them.  Plus, trying to keep track of two crazy girls in that crowd alone wasn't too fun for me.  

So with that super fun experience and the fact that we have two more kids to add to the mix, we decided to hit up the art festival this year.  But it turns out we were a day off!  We drove there just to find out that the art festival was Friday not Saturday!  I promise I did NOT do that on purpose!!

But it wasn't all bad.  We decided to tour the museum instead.  And here's a little secret...I have never been there before.  I know, pretty lame considering I've lived in this area for close to nine years now!  In fact, there's a ton of artsy fartsy stuff that we haven't done around here!  We should remedy that!

Piper analyzing some art.

I really would like to know what was going on in her head at that moment.

The museum is really beautiful...it reminds me of an old Spanish Mission.  And they have a really nice outside  patio with an area to sit and space for the kids to run around...which is crucial when you have four kids who were doing a really good job being quiet inside the museum.

Oh, and it's FREE!

But a highlight was definitely seeing some of Walter Rane's artwork. 

He is the illustrator for the Kit Kittredge books.

So that was good fun.

Morgan is wearing an apron because she wanted to be prepared for doing some crafts...had the art festival been going on...which is wasn't....but we already went over that.

Happy Monday!

Swim Team

Several weeks ago I signed Haley up for a local youth swim team.  The only criteria was that the child needed to be able to freestyle one lap with ease.  Well, Haley couldn't really do that.  We practiced a bit, but when Monday (the first day of swim team) rolled around she still wasn't able to do it.  So the swim team coach put her in a parks and rec group lesson for the week to "practice" and then she could tryout again on Friday.  I spent every morning leaving that pool in complete frustration.  I'll go ahead and say, I hate parks and rec group swim lessons!!  I feel that kids spend more time hanging off the wall then actual swimming!  I also feel that time (they only have 30 minutes) is just not enough when you have class with 6 kids.  Your kid will probably only get 5 minutes of good, solid practicing in.  In my opinion, I would drop the cash for private lessons then put my kid in those group lessons!  But I had to just go with it when they put Haley in the group lesson for the week, and just pray that she would be able to swim a lap by Friday...even though, I might add, they never even practiced doing the freestyle once during her lessons!!  See what I mean?!  Frustrating!  Just a lot of wall hanging.  Gah!!

So this morning was the big day.  She was motivated and ready to go!  Could she do it?!  

 Group huddle before practice.

Gonna make it, gonna make it.

She swam her little heart out...really she did.  Every time she took a breath she took it facing the bleachers, I would be sitting there giving her a thumbs up.  

Well, she didn't quite make it across.  Darn it!  But, she continued through the practice all smiles, happy as can be.  I think she was really loving being a part of a team...plus, she really can't wait to get her own team swim cap.  So, for the rest of the practice I couldn't bare the thought of the coach telling her she didn't qualify... but I knew it was coming.  

But at the end of practice the coach never seeked me out to deliver the bad news.  So I went up to her and just very casually asked, "So, we're good?"  And low and behold, she was...Haley made the team!!  We were thrilled!!  

So my question is...If they were going to take Haley regardless if she was able to swim a lap or not, why did they put her in those horrid group lessons for the week that did absolutely NOTHING to prepare her?!  

I guess I'll never know.

My New Favorite

I bought this cookbook yesterday and it has quickly become my favorite...and I haven't even cooked anything from it yet!

This cookbook is different from others in that Ree Drumond (aka: Pioneer Woman) includes tons of stories about her own life.  She talks about her city life past and her present day ranch life, and how she was swept off her feet by real live cowboy (aka: The Marlboro Man).  And my favorite and necessity for a cookbook...she has TONS of photos of each recipe!  Which by the way, look really good!  She also includes tons of photos of the ranch.  I've pretty much read this book cover to cover yesterday in between chasing kids around.  And I'm sure I'll be visiting her site often. 

She kinda makes me want to live on a ranch or a farm...almost.

But you know, I do have to disagree with one thing.  She says a guy's butt looks best in a pair Wranglers.  I've never been a fan of Wranglers.  Me, I'm a Levi's girl through and through.  And I will add that Ryan owns all Levi's.

And speaking of Ryan, he comes back to me today...well, actually he arrives in the wee hours of Friday morning.  I'm so glad...we have missed him.  With this being the first week the girls have been out of school and with Ryan gone, Summer has been a shock to my system.  We've been staying busy, which is good, but I'll tell ya...I'm worn out!  

Good news.

The good news,  Morgan does NOT have a fracture in her foot!  Whew!  Basically it's just a really bad sprain.  The doctor said she should wear her tennis shoes every day to support her foot as much possible until it heals completely.  I tried to stick to that for approximately 2 hours after the appointment.  But trying to get a kid to wear shoes in the Summer is easier said than done!  At this very moment she's playing in the irrigation canal (aka: the ditch)...barefoot.  She claims that it "doesn't hurt that bad anymore"...whatever.

We have been enjoying amazing weather lately!  I just love this time of year! 

The girls playing in the sprinklers last night.

Tonight we're heading up to Sundance to watch Jeffy in the mountain bike race.  Maybe we'll be able to squeeze in another lift ride before the race starts.

I think we'll stay out of the river this time though!

Happy Birthday my love.

So in yesterday's craziness I forgot to mention that it was Ryan's birthday!!

Like I said, he's in Quebec this week...so, too bad, he'll have to wait for his visit to Birthday Funky Town.

Happy Birthday!

I sure do love you!

In other news, Morgan has her appointment with the Orthopedic doctor today so we'll be able to find out what's up with her foot soon!

Not a good start.

So Ryan left Sunday morning early (we were all still sleeping when he left) to Quebec for work, and it seems everything just kinda went downhill from there.  

I scrambled all morning to get everyone ready for our 9:00 church.  I got out the door by 9:30 (not too bad), walked the couple blocks just to find out that it was conference Sunday (no meeting at that church house).  What a bust.  I suppose I could have walked a few more blocks to the Stake Center where they were meeting, but decided to throw in the towel and just go home.  I was already exhausted.  

So after lunch I decide tot get the girls out and stick to our Sundance Sundays even without Ryan.  We used our passes to go on a lift ride...that was good fun and the girls loved it!  It is absolutely beautiful this time of year!  Everything is so green!  This was probably the only good/fun thing that happened all day.

After the lift I let the girls take their shoes off and play in the shallow part of the river to cool off.  Morgan took about three steps and cut her foot on a rock.  Blood was EVERYWHERE!  You know how water will make a little cut look ten times worse...well, it did.  And it didn't take long for Morgan to go into complete hysterics after seeing all the blood.  We were causing quite the seen.  Another mother could sense my need for assistance and helped me fetch Piper out of the water so I could get OUT OF THERE!  Morgan's screaming was kinda putting a damper on the peaceful atmosphere everyone was trying to enjoy.  So I take her to snow patrol/bike patrol/first aid area to get help.  They cleaned her up and we were on our way...home that is.

Everything was fine until about 7 that evening, and then her foot took a turn for the worst.  It started to swell, and Morgan again went hysterical from the pain.  I decided to take her in to get in checked out.  Thank goodness for my wonderful neighbor who took Rory, Piper and Haley for me so I could take care of Morgan.  After a couple hours the doctor concluded that it may be a fracture in her foot.  His main concern is that it may be a fracture on her growth plate...but hopefully not.  So I'm taking her in the orthopedic doctor tomorrow for a more in depth look to make sure.  For now, her foot is in a splint until we know more.  Total bummer.  I didn't get back until after 10 to get my kids, so it turned out to be a very late night for everyone.

This isn't the best start to the week...or Summer for that matter.  And yes...Morgan broke both her wrists last year around this time.  I'm sensing a pattern here.  Here's to hoping that her foot is just fine, and we'll move on.